Electronic messaging, (i.e. “e-mail”), instant messaging (“IM”) and text messaging between wireless devices have evolved from simple text-only ASCII formats to visually enhanced and multi-media interfaces with customizable features. Examples of electronic messaging improvements and innovations include graphics such as framing, font and background selection and coloring, audio such as log-on/log-off arrival and departure audio signals, and selectable graphics such as Smileys™ or Emoticons™ and digital images and video or swif files. These types of improvements and enhancements are intended to make electronic messaging easier to use, more interactive and more entertaining.
Current forms of electronic messaging systems, such as those provided by America Online, Yahoo, MSN and Google, are configured primarily for ease of use, speed or efficiency, and a small degree of entertainment or social networking and personal expression or personalized greeting value. The widespread use of e-mail and instant messaging for business and social communication has made it one of the universal modes of communication in modern societies. The rapid proliferation of wireless devices has further increased the volume of electronic messages.
Advertising is a very large component of internet website content. The principal formats of website advertisements are so-called “banner ads” which appear as framed graphic and text images at the top, bottom or sides on a web page, and “pop-up” ads which appear as framed graphic and text images which are overlayed and displayed on top of a web page, thereby blocking out the covered area of the underlying web page. Banner ads have proven to be very effective and are therefore ubiquitous on general public and information websites. On the contrary, pop-up ads are universally regarded as intrusive annoyances, mainly because they obliterate the website page which is trying to be viewed. The amount of advertising on a website or web pages is correlated to the amount of traffic or visits to the site or page. The widespread use of electronic and instant messaging lends the format to effective advertising and related online sales transactions for electronic and physical products.